Revenant
by Brin Londo5
Summary: (WIP) The sequel to Resurrection, finally! Up through Chapter 11!
1. Default Chapter

Title: Revenant  
  
Author: Brin Londo5  
  
Email: ogreblood@hotmail.com  
  
Rating: Undecided yet  
  
Summary: the sequel to 'Resurrection' Disclaimer: All Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series characters belong to Joss Wheadon, all hail the Joss-meister. No cash is being made, so there. Archive: Whoever wants it, just please ask first.  
  
Author's Notes: the sequel to 'Resurrection', as promised  
  
"Well,"Wesley said, looking across the desk over to Giles and Angel, "I've pored over the codices, the scrolls, and the Aberjan document itself, and the indications are conclusive. Whatever it is that's happened to Spike, it isn't the Sanshu."  
  
"Agreed." Giles said, as Angel sighed in relief. "The receiver of the Sanshu prophecy is supposed to become human, totally and completely. William IS alive, but he is still empowered by his vampiric demon, Spike. Frankly, I haven't the foggiest what it could mean, because most of my arcane library is still at the bottom of the Sunnydale pit, along with the Magic Box." Along with Anya, Jenny, Joyce, and so many others.  
  
"Well, many of the books are duplicated in Wolfram and Hart's collection, here, Giles, and we're working on unearthing as much of the Magic Box, and Revello Drive, as we can." Angel replied, hesitantly. "I wanted to have our crew try to reclaim the bodies from the school, but according to our geologists, that section of town got buried the deepest in the collapse."  
  
At that point, a knock on the door caused everyone to look up.  
  
"Come in." Angel called out.  
  
The head of security looked in, motioned Angel aside, and whispered something to the tall vampire.  
  
"Guys, I've got to go deal with this; Giles, we'll get back in touch. Wesley, can you?"  
  
"Yes, Angel, I'll confer a bit more with Rupert, and see about replacing the majority of the Scoobies collection." As soon as Angel closed the door behind him, Wesley turned back to Giles. "This is bizarre, to say the least. Are you sure Spike said he gained the Sanshu?"  
  
"Yes, it's the bloodiest thing.." a vague look came over the Watcher, then suddenly it was as if light just dawned. "Bloody hell! No, he said it was a prophecy, but HE didn't say it was the Sanshu prophecy, I did!"  
  
"What exactly did he say?"  
  
"The Powers that be could give me a choice of rewards, either Heaven right then, or return to life as a champion, because of some prophesy about Moo- shu Pork, or something like that."  
  
"Well, that does sound like the Sanshu prophecy.."  
  
"Yes, but it isn't. He never said it was the Sanshu, just 'something like that'!"  
  
"So.. it could be some totally unrelated prophecy, that only rhymes with the mushu, er, Sanshu prophecy?" Wesley asked.  
  
"It's possible."  
  
"Unlikely as it sounds.."  
  
"But we've already established that it's not the Sanshu, so the unlikely is the only possible option."  
  
_*_*_*_*  
  
Angel turned to Thomson..  
  
"What is it? Connor?"  
  
"No sir, the boy's still under surveillance, as per your orders."  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"The Sunnydale excavation operation, sir. There's been a few.. incidents."  
  
"Incidents? What do you mean incidents, Thomson? Were they in any of the-"  
  
"No, sir, none of the sections Mr. Whyndam-Pryce or Mr. Giles indicated as dangerous zones were disturbed, or the beta-zones, either."  
  
Whew, Angel thought, none of the sites indicated as First-Evil / Turak-Han sites had been disturbed, or the former graveyards where Joyce Summers, Tara Maclay, and Jenny Calendar had been buried, either. Okay, that was good, he'd hate for anyone to disturb their resting places.. well, where they had been, anyway.  
  
"Then what has happened, Thomson? Something must have, or you wouldn't be telling me this."  
  
"Well, sir, we lost three men in a vampire attack, sir. Standard vampires, not the Firsts' Uber-vamps."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Well, according to the pre-collapse maps of Sunnydale, cross-referenced with geological maps, they were at the former locations of the Bronze nightclub, and the Shady Rest cemetery."  
  
The Bronze? Well, that was familiar enough, he'd been there dozens of times. But why was the Shady Rest nagging at him.. especially in conjunction with the Bronze?  
  
Then it hit him. Luke and Penn. Two of the Master's favorites, besides Darla. That's where each of them had been dusted by Buffy.  
  
T.B.C. 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Revenant, Ch. 2  
  
Author's notes: I haven't seen the Angel episode where W&H resurrected Darla, so I'm winging it on the special effects.  
  
_*_*_*  
  
"Screw you, blood-breath!"  
  
"Bite me, Harris!"  
  
Buffy sighed and turned back to Dawn and Willow. "Isn't it nice to see the two of them getting along so well?"  
  
Dawn snickered, Willow and Fred got a confused look on their faces, then Willow did a double take, and burst out in laughter, too. Oblivious, Xander and Spike kept circling the pool table as they took their shots.  
  
"You're right, for them, this is light-hearted playing." Willow chuckled.  
  
"Y'know, if they'd just quit putting so much effort into hating each other, they'd actually like each other." Dawn added.  
  
"Well, they don't actually hate each other, really, it's just.. Xander just.. After the 'bathroom' thing, well, he needed to hate Spike, he needed some kind of outlet for all the hurt from the whole leaving-Anya-at- the-altar, seeing-Spike-and-Anya-humping-on-videotape thing." Willow explained to Fred.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"And on that note, let's go toss our hats into the ring."  
  
"Can we do that, Buffy? I mean, they're not wearing hats, we're not wearing hats, so we're pretty kind of hatless, so to speak."  
  
"It's just a saying, Willow." Fred pointed out.  
  
"I know that, but it's an odd saying, really."  
  
Spike lined up his shot, aiming to knock the 7 into the corner pocket, when a cue smacked down on his own. "Listen, Harris, aren't you taking this a bit-"He looked up at Buffy, who held the cue in a classic bo- jutsu stance.  
  
"C'mon, Spike, let's raise the stakes. New game. You and me, versus Xander and Wills."  
  
"That's the teams, Pet, but what're the stakes?" He asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.  
  
"Losers pay the winners tab."  
  
"Tame so far, Luv. And?"  
  
"Winners get the use of the Jacuzzi tonight."  
  
"Well, then, you're on!"  
  
Willow and Xander looked at each other, and gulped. They didn't want to end up paying for Buffy and Spike's drinks tonight, but did they want to end up in the hotels hot tub? The pair were best friends, but was this one time when winning meant losing?  
  
"Don't look so put out, Red. The whelp's good, I'll give him that. Even with the eye-patch. He always used to close one eye when lining up his shots, anyway."  
  
"Yeah, but Buffy has that superhuman eye-hand co-ordination thing going on."  
  
"Not so sure that's much help in pool, Wills. Xander's won a few trips to the snack-bar, back at the Bronze off of me." Buffy added, racking the balls into the triangle.  
  
Fred flipped the coin, and Xander and Willow got the break. Xander sank four balls in a row, then Willow sunk two, before Spike took his two. Buffy sank one, and scratched, letting Xander back into the game. Fred looked over in amazement to Dawn, who just shrugged as the Scoobies game ended in record time with Xander and Willow winning.  
  
"Get used to it." She said to the Angel Investigations resident brainiac.  
  
"Oi, are you sure Red didn't get all black-eyed and vein-y on those last three shots?  
  
"What, two out of three, Captain Peroxide?" Willow asked, a mock-offended look on her face.  
  
"Rack 'em, Xander." Buffy giggled.  
  
Buffy and Spike won the next match, and Dawn began placing bets with some of the Wolfram and Hart personnel who came over to watch.  
  
Willow broke, sinking the 3, the 5, and the 10, then took out the 7 and the 1 ball. Xander scratched, Spike sank the 2 , the 14, and the 12, and Buffy sank the 6 and the 4.  
  
Willow sank the 11 and the 15, Xander sank the 9, and the 13, then ceremoniously sank the remaining even-numbered balls to the sound of applause.  
  
Dawn and Fred tallied up the bets, and Dawn took her cut, then distributed the winnings.  
  
"How did you know Xander and Willow would win?" Knox asked.  
  
"Who do you think taught me how to hustle pool? Xander and Spike. Willow's okay with a pool cue, but the only thing Buffy knows about how to handle a stick is how to club a minion to death with it. Watch and learn!" She turned to the Scoobies. "I get to play the winners!" Dawn shouted.  
  
Knox and Fred watched in awe as the youngest of the Scoobies then proceeded to lay the smack-down on the Witch and the Carpenter.  
  
_*_*_*_*  
  
Three figures chanted from the large tome in front of them, while fourteen vampire minions waited in restraints, chained to the walls of the chamber. Some huddled, some fought against the chains, but the three chanters ignored their struggles. The circles on the floor began to glow, then lit up in brilliant golden light. The candles fountained up like magnesium flares, and streamers of crimson energy shot out towards the minions. Tendrils of light penetrated each vamp, whose eyes lit up from within, glowing scarlet before the bodies of the minions crumbled into dust, one by one.  
  
Inside the circles, the energy soaked into the few tiny personal items clustered there, and the two small piles of dust. The dust began to swirl up into the air like subterranean dust-devils, and within the circles, two somethings began to form.  
  
Bones swirled inside, first small ones like teeth and finger-bones, then ribs, thighbones, radii and ulnas, pelvis' and skulls, assembling themselves like a twisted jigsaw puzzle. Tendons, tissues, and organs, skin and hair. Then, the indoor storm stopped, and two figures stood inside the designs.  
  
"Welcome back to the realm of the living, oh favored servants of the Master. Hello, and goodbye, Luke, Penn." One of the chanters said, throwing back his hood to reveal the face of a vampire.  
  
T.B.C. 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Revenant, Ch. 3  
  
Penn dropped the corpse he held, and then turned to where Luke's body stirred. The recently turned, or re-turned, vampire sat up and rose from the dust of the warehouse floor. Yellow eyes beheld the robed vampires that cast the resurrection spell that returned his mortal soul and body from the abyss, and Luke strode over to the one who had drained and turned him.  
  
"Why are we back?" Luke asked, in a raspy voice more suited to a fyarl demon than the deep tones he originally possessed. "Where is the Master? Why did you not return him as well?"  
  
"Unfortunately, the Slayer and her Watcher were rather effective in rendering the Masters remains unavailable to us." The robed vampire replied. "Once before, an easier ritual was attempted, but the Slayer used a sledgehammer and ground his bones into powder, then soaked the dust in holy water before scattering them in the ocean."  
  
"And the Slayer, does she still live, or has another been called?" Luke asked.  
  
"Both!" The robed vampire spat. "This Slayer has a habit of eluding death's grasp, even after being put into the grave! The Red Witch not only brought her back, but later let the magick loose from its singular constraints! Now there are many Slayers, not just one!"  
  
"Then the Muransu Prophesy is being fulfilled? It is NOT just babblings of a crazed Roa'Shaque demon?"  
  
"Apparently not. Consider yourself lucky that an employee of Wolfram and Hart let us purchase a copy of the ritual that brought Darla back."  
  
"Darla lives?"  
  
"No, she met her end thanks to the traitor, Angelus."  
  
"Then you serve no purpose." Luke lunged forward and tore open the robed vampires throat, draining him as if he were a mortal, then twisted the robed one's head off, laughing as the dust rained down upon his muscled form. "Ahh, that hit the spot."  
  
"You slew him." Penn stated, intrigued. "You slew your sire."  
  
"That waste of flesh was not my sire! The Master was my sire, this poor fools blood isn't strong enough to hold the sire bond, not compared to that of the Master. Do any of the other two know more than this fool?"  
  
"M-master Luke, yes, we do, and are eager to assist the Childer of the Master in any way possible!" One of the other spell-casters quickly said.  
  
"Then have the other signs of the Muransu Prophesy come to pass?"  
  
"Two have, master Luke, the Hellmouth has swallowed itself, and the fifth of the line of Aurelius walks the daylight once more."  
  
"The fifth??" Penn asked in a groaning tone of voice. "Please tell me that Darla, Drusilla, or Angelus sired again after we were slain! Don't tell me that William the Bloody has somehow been returned as the Champion?"  
  
"If I lie, will you promise not to kill me?"  
  
Luke punched his fist through the spell-casters heart, and then shook the dust away. "Damn it! There went the one who could have been our last hope for the Aurelius bloodline! Spike was a shining example of deadly ruthlessness. Two slayers at only 120, then he becomes the Champion of the Slayers? As if Angelus turning traitor wasn't enough?"  
  
"Patience, Luke, there's still a chance to salvage the honor of the bloodline. All we have to do is find the Slayer, Buffy, then kill her, the Red Witch, whoever she may be, and either re-sire Spike or kill him as well. The Master would have expected no less of us."  
  
_*_*_*  
  
Willow sat in the frothing heat of the Jacuzzi, head back and eyes closed as she soaked in the hot-tub's bubbling water-jets. When the quiet click of the door-latch sounded, she peeked one eye open to see who it was. Probably, it was Xander, but if not-  
  
'Omifrikkingoddess!' Willow thought, as Xander dropped his towel and slid into the tub clad only in a pair of Speedos reminiscent of his time on the Swim Team. 'I never realized-'  
  
Xander had put on a few pounds after High School, but two years of construction work, combined with the stress of helping fight the forces of the First Evil, had melted away the excess fat and placed a new layer of muscle on the one-eyed construction worker.  
  
Xander gulped as he saw Willow lying in the tub with just her bikini on, red hair splayed damply along the tub's edge. The position also thrust her pert chest forward, the bikini cups floating oh-so nicely in the foaming water. 'Whoa! Down, boy! That's your best friend you're drooling over!' he thought to himself, 'Damn, if Willow hadn't decided to switch teams, back in college-' He quickly slid into the water, hoping that he did so soon enough to hide the sudden tightness in his trunks.  
  
"Hey, you okay, wills? You look a little flushed, there."  
  
"Xander!" Willow protested, sitting up, "I'm a redhead, naturally pale skin? Of course I'm going to look flushed and stuff in a hot-tub!" 'Willow Rosenberg, what are you doing? That's Xander you're drooling over! Your best friend! A guy! And, and he has a PENIS!' "Goddess, this is weird." She mumbled.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Oh, um, y'know, the whole Spike back from the dead, and Buffy dating him out in the open, no more hiding and sneaking around, having sex behind everyone's backs. Um, not that they've been having sex in front of an audience, or anything like that, just- is there any way I can keep from sliding any deeper in this conversation?"  
  
"Probably not, but we love you anyway, Wills." Xander chuckled. "And, yeah, it is a little strange, but at least it seems a lot healthier this time around." Meanwhile, Xander's brain was shrieking at him 'Clothes fluke! Clothes Fluke! It's got to be another go-around of the Clothes Fluke!! Oh, crap, WE'RE NOT WEARING CLOTHES!!!!!', while another part of Xander simply saluted mockingly under the frothing water. 'Quick, imagine Spike naked! No, BAD! Imagine Giles naked! Okay, loosing a bit of elevation, there, imagine Andrew naked!' Xander relaxed in relief as his spandex trunks returned to their non-incriminating state. "You know, this wasn't very subtle of Buffy. This was almost Dawn-levels of blatancy."  
  
"To quote you: Huh?" Willow said, feigning ignorance.  
  
"The Xander and Willow are too tense, lets give them some relaxation time blatancy of it." Keep up the act, Xander, pretend you don't know what Buffy's really pushing at. "Just because we're not really hot Slayer chicks, she acts like we're so fragile. She might as well have ordered us off to a luxury spa. Hey, that's an idea, let's fake being frazzled so she gets Giles to front some money for us hitting Club Med!"  
  
"Careful, Xander, your sometimes-less-than-manliness is showing." Willow giggled, imagining Harris in an avocado facial-mask while getting a manicure.  
  
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Xander asked in mock-irritation.  
  
"I seem to remember you telling me once that the main reason you hate Angel so much is that you found him attractive. Among other things."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like Buffy telling me about the guilty look you and Spike gave each other when the girl (who's ex got turned into a killer worm-demon) asked if there was anyone in our group of friends who hadn't slept with each other?"  
  
"Are you trying to imply that I'm a closet-case, like Andrew?"  
  
"No, Andrew's gay. You're simply a little bisexual, with a strong leaning towards hetero-sexuality. After all, after your crushes on Faith, Buffy, Cordelia, and Anya, no-one can doubt your attraction for the female sex." Willow paused for a moment, thinking. "For that matter, so is Buffy. Have you seen her and Faith out on the dance floor? There's some serious heat between those two, and always was. Plus, I'm fairly certain that Buffy and I weren't just being buddy-buddy when we used to tell each other that we loved each other. We were just to insecure to explore it."  
  
"Pot, thou art calling the kettle. If Buffy and I are both bi, what's that make you?"  
  
"Gay." Willow replied, stretching like a wet, redheaded cat in the foam.  
  
"I can shoot down that statement with only one word: Oz."  
  
"Xander Harris!"  
  
"Him too. You've been using the 'Gay Now' line for nearly two years, Wills, but lesbians don't fall for guys. And Oz was definitely a PELF."  
  
"A PELF?"  
  
"Penile Enhanced Life Form. PELF."  
  
"So I'm bi, with a leaning towards homosexuality?"  
  
"Or a more mobile orientation. Sort of like a pendulum."  
  
"Okay, I'll play. Who else needs to come out of the closet in our group? Giles?"  
  
"Nah, if anyone in the gang's one hundred percent straight, It's the G-man. Oz, too. Faith, on the other hand, "Xander led off.  
  
"Yeah, she's lusting after both Buffy AND Robin Wood. Definitely Bi. Angel?"  
  
"With that velvet coat he used to wear, and all the attention he spends grooming his hair? Definitely swinging for both teams."  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that I refuse to answer that."  
  
"You mean you plead the fifth."  
  
"That too. Cordelia?"  
  
"Only if the other girl was herself. Unless you believe that rumor about her and Harmony in cheerleader camp during summer vacation, between our freshman and sophomore years. Anya?"  
  
"Ahn." Xander gave a wistful sigh. "Anya was TRY-sexual. If it was in any way, shape, or form sexual, she was eager to try it."  
  
"I'm sorry, Xan." Willow whispered, sliding around to hug him. "I didn't mean to remind you. I know it still hurts." Both tensed momentarily, then relaxed into each other's touch. Just like old times.  
  
"Yeah, well, it's gonna happen. I'm just sorry about us all walking on eggshells like last summer, after Tara-"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hey, there's one. Tara?"  
  
"Definitely gay, not Bi. I was Tara's first. And her last. At least, until her next life, anyway."  
  
"Y'know, I missed this. The palling-around, shooting the breeze, not afraid to touch and cuddle each other times. I missed you, Willow."  
  
"Same here, more than you know."  
  
T.B.C. 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Revenant, Ch. 4  
  
(Cleveland, the new Watchers Council headquarters)  
  
Robin Wood looked over at Faith, then at Vi and Andrew.  
  
"It's been three days, and still no sign. I hate to say this, but let's make the call."  
  
"God, this is gonna kill Willow."  
  
_*_*_*  
  
At the Hyperion Hotel, a phone rang.  
  
"Watcher's Council west, Ms. Summers speaking!" Buffy all but chirped into the phone.  
  
"B, we gotta talk." Faith said quietly on the other end.  
  
Xander flinched at the loud crunch the phone made as the receiver was crushed in Buffy's suddenly white-knuckled hand. Spike started to move forward, but stopped when Buffy held her hand up.  
  
_*_*_*  
  
"Thanks for walking me back to the Hotel. After that guy pick- pocketed me, I didn't have enough for the cab fare." Dawn said to the Slayer on her left.  
  
"Hey, no problem, it was the least I could do."  
  
"Well, I gotta say, it's really nice of you. When you first came with Giles and the others, I thought you were such a bitch, always dissing Buffy and mouthing off to her. I'm glad to see you've changed." She turned to her companion, and gasped as Kennedy's face morphed from her normal appearance to vampiric game-face.  
  
"Yeah." Kennedy hissed as she lifted Dawn by the throat. "I've changed. A lot."  
  
_*_*_*  
  
"Willow," Buffy began, pale as she looked at her oldest friend, "That was Faith. I'm afraid her and Robin have some bad news. It's Kennedy. She vanished while on patrol three days ago, and they're afraid she might be dead."  
  
"Well, I can honestly say, I'm not dead, but you will be." Vamp- Kennedy stood at the doorway of the Hyperion, holding Dawn off the ground by her throat. "Catch."  
  
"Dawn!" "Nibblet!" Buffy and Spike yelled. Buffy leaped to catch Dawn as Vamp-Kennedy threw the girl at the oak front desk, and Spike hurled himself at the undead ex-Slayer. Both Summers' girls heads connected with the hardwood desk with enough force to knock both out cold, and Kennedy drew a weapon from behind her back.  
  
The jet from the super-soaker caught Spike directly in the eyes, and he howled in agony, blinded. Vamp-Kennedy then grabbed the velvet- upholstered couch and hurled it at Willow, burying the witch under its mass before she smashed a lamp over Spike's head.  
  
"Y'know, I didn't know if Holy Water would work on poor William, here, him having a pulse and all, now," She said, as she stalked towards Xander, "which is why I used bleach, instead."  
  
Xander grabbed for a wooden stake someone had left on the front desk, but Kennedy's undead speed outclassed him.  
  
"What did Caleb say when he gouged out your other eye? 'You're the one who sees everything.' Is that true, Xander? Did you see this coming, you little Cyclops?" She grabbed Xander by the head, slammed him against the wall, and began to squeeze. Xander grabbed her wrists and tried to force them away, to no avail.  
  
"You're dust, Ken, dust! The others'll –"  
  
"The other's will DIE, you over-glorified handyman! I'm going to kill you, Dawn, and your precious Buffy! Then I'm going to turn Spike and Buffy, and stake her as soon as she rises, and turn Willow, so that she and I can be together, without you, forever!"  
  
"LET! Xander! GO! Kennedy!" Xander gasped as the pressure on his skull let up slightly, and he saw over Kennedy's shoulder Willow, standing wiping blood from her nose as she glared at her former girlfriend.  
  
"Willow, honey! You weren't supposed to wake up yet, I should've hit you harder. Don't be upset, baby, he'll die, and you'll die, and then I'll bring you back, and we can be together again, like it's supposed to be!" She turned back to Xander, and began squeezing again. Xander gasped as his jaw dislocated on one side, not hearing the quiet words of Latin, then Kennedy's hands were being forced away from him.  
  
"Ooh, Willow, are you going all black-eyed and veiny on me? You gonna kick my ass, like you did Buffy's?"  
  
"You're not Kennedy, and I don't care who you are." Willow said quietly, power flowing around her like a strong wind. Behind Willow, the mahogany coffee lifted up into the air, then splintered into a hundred sharp edges. "No one hurts Xander. No one." The table shards quivered for one split second, then dove forward like a flock of crows all diving for the same breadcrumb.  
  
Vamp-Kennedy gasped, with an almost hurt look on her face, then crumbled into dust.  
  
Xander gripped his head gingerly as he slid down the wall, then pulled Willow into his grip as she fell to her knees.  
  
"Buffy? Dawn?!" Spike yelled as he struggled to his feet. "Where are you?"  
  
"They're out cold, Spike! Hang on, we'll help!" Xander yelled. "C'mon, Wills, we gotta grieve later, the others need us." He whispered to the redhead. The two pulled themselves to their feet, then Willow waved one hand and whispered "Occularae".  
  
"Thanks, Red, much obliged." Spike said, as the burning chlorine instantly vanished from his eyes. "Nibblet!"  
  
"Owww.." Dawn whimpered as she and Buffy slowly came around. "Now I know how Giles feels."  
  
"Willow, what happened to Kennedy?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I.. she.. Xander.." Willow waved her hand at the pile of dust next to the wall, tears in her eyes, and Buffy and Xander pulled her into a mutual hug as the wicca crumbled.  
  
"C'mon, Nibblet." Spike said quietly, "Let's get you taken care of."  
  
"But, but Willow.."  
  
"Red needs Xander and Buffy right now. We can do the comfort thing later, right now we need to see if you've got a concussion or not. Giving Red some space right now'd be the best thing for her from us." With that, he took the wobbly-legged teen and led her to the door.  
  
T.B.C. 


	5. chapter 5

**Title:** Revenant, Ch. 5

**Authors Notes:** My apologies to the readers, real life got to hectic to continue posting for a while (Loss of internet access, etc.) Things seem to be looking up, however, despite FF.Net's insistance on deleting any and ALL forms of separators I try and use to divide the various sections of these chapters! GRRRRR.  
  
Buffy, Wesley, Spike, Gunn, Dawn, Lorne, Giles, and Fred stood behind Willow and Xander as they dedicated the memorial at the courtyard of the Hyperion. Willow held the plaque bearing Kennedy's name in place as Xander affixed it to the pillar, alongside the names of Doyle, Joyce, Jessie, Tara, Jonathan, Jenny, Kendra, Anya, the Potential Slayers who died before Willow had cast the 'Chosen' spell, and the Slayers who died in the closing of Sunnydale's Hellmouth.  
  
No words were spoken as Willow stood and leaned into Xander. The two then walked into the Hyperion.  
  
"Are they gonna be okay?" Dawn asked Lorne.  
  
"I'd need to hear them sing to know for sure, sweet-cheeks. As it is, that's up to them." The green-skinned demon replied. "Regardless, there's something lurking deep down in those two, something dark and something light, both. _**Both**_ are going to come out, and it's up to _**them**_ which forces gain ascendance."

Buffy pounded the punching bag in the Hyperion's training room, her fists a blur as she smashed the reinforced leather.  
  
"Pet, I think it's already dead."  
  
Buffy spun and had to fight the urge to throw a punch at Spike. '_Never again,_' she reminded herself as she stared at the blond ex-vampire, '_Sparring aside, I'm not going to strike out at him in anger ever again, no matter how convenient it would be.'  
_  
"It's my fault." The words fell dead, lifeless into the room.  
  
"Codswallop!"  
  
"First Tara, now Kennedy, both of my best friends lovers are _dead _because some asshole wanted to hurt me by hurting Willow."  
  
"That's grade-A shite, and you know it, Buffy. Yes, they're dead, and _yes_, someone did it to hurt you and Willow both. But blaming yourself for that? That's the biggest load of tripe I've heard since you and Peaches tried to run the whole '_Just Friends'_ garbage past me three years ago. The only way that'd be your fault in ANY way, shape or form is if that stupid Cordelia bint finally gave Peaches a happy and Angelus decided to restart his hobby of stalking you again. And he's more likely to go after her or Faith, these days."  
  
"Quit trying to make me feel better."  
  
"Is it working, Luv?" Spike asked, arching an eyebrow hopefully.  
  
"Weirdly, yes, which is why I want you to stop." The faint smirk on Buffy's face betrayed the scowl she was trying to maintain. Then both faded, and she slumped against the wall.  
  
Spike leaned next to her, brushing the hair out of her face with the tips of his fingers. "Look, Buffy, I know I'm no good at this, former Big Bad and all, but it's true. You are in no way, shape or form responsible for what happened to Kennedy, or Xander, or Glinda, or Mum, Warren's girlfriend, or any of the Potentials who died before Red cast her spell. People die, either by accident, or disease, or murder. So, someone wanted to send us a little message, and Kennedy died for it. At least she died with the power to fight back. If Red hadn't cast her little spell, the brat would've have died back in Sunnyhell, when we faced down the First." He paused. "All we can do now, is be there for Red, let her know she's family, and she's still loved, and not as alone as she must feel right now."  
  
"How much of that is Spike, and how much is William?"  
  
"All _**Spike**_ here, Pet. Red's _**family**_. You, Joyce, the Bit, Red, Glinda, Demon-Girl, hell, even the Whelp, you're all part of my pack, whether or not any of you're comfortable with that. William, he'd've used long, flowery language, Victorian git that he is. Me? Vampire here, or ex- vampire, anyway. A little more primal. We're pack creatures, and as much as I despised the lot of you for the longest time, the Scoobies became my pack."  
  
"When did that happen, Spike?"  
  
"Dunno about that. _First_ happened when Red cast her 'Will' spell, and got us engaged. Tried to forget that, then around the time Glory came along, it sort of snuck up on me. Red an' your Mum, they got stones. Would never have turned Joyce, but Red? She'd have made one _**hell**_ of a vamp. Tara? Glinda always treated me with respect, even when the rest of you didn't. Anya was one in a million, she knew what it was like trying to fit in with humans, we had a lot in common. And the Bit, she's the little sister I never had."  
  
"I remember you trying to help Giles during the engagement spell. How come he's not on that list?"  
  
"Ripper? Still a tad pissed about him trying to have me killed. Still, he's more your father than that git Hank Summers, so give it time, Pet."  
  
"He _IS_ sorry he did that, Spike. He just couldn't see past the past."  
  
"Couldn't see past _**Angelus**_, you mean. I know, which is why I didn't blame him all that much. Still hurt a bit, after all the time I'd spent helping the Scoobies. Give it time, Buffy."  
  
T.B.C.


	6. chapter 6

**Title:** Revenant, Ch. 6  
  
Xander woke up to the early morning light, and stretched. Well, he tried to. A warm body was in the bed next to him, laying across his right arm.  
  
For a brief microsecond, he thought it was Anya, but the scent of strawberry shampoo hit his nostrils.  
  
Willow.  
  
'_Okay, this was getting to be a recurring thing_.' Xander thought. '_Again with the Willow not being able to sleep unless she climbed into bed with the Xan-man_.'  
  
Xander almost reached over to nudge Willow awake, when she turned and nuzzled against him, her nose gently butting into the dip between his collarbone and his neck. '_Eeep_!' Xander thought, desperately trying to will away his body's natural reaction as she curled one leg across him in her sleep, her shin resting directly across the now aroused member below his waist.  
  
Xander tried to use his personal anti-erection mantra that he's used in the hot tub the week before, but this time it was of little use. 'Mr. Happy' seemed to be convinced that Willow's leg was directly addressing him.  
  
Willow yawned, and curled into the warm body she lay next to, and partially on top of. Her brain wasn't awake enough to formulate the words, but the feelings fell into certain lines.  
  
_ 'Warm. Warm good. Sleepy. Safe. Like this_.' However, something was poking her, against her inner thigh. '_Male scent. Oz? No, Oz gone. Not Oz- smell. Xander-smell.'  
_  
'_Wait a minute._' Willow's brain thought to itself, finally kicking into gear. '_Xander-smell, something poking me-'_ Ooops.  
  
'Xander?????' Willow's eyes snapped open, as Xander tried to decide whether arching an eyebrow or just looking sheepish was the appropriate action.  
  
"Um, good morning?" Willow asked. Definitely both, Xander decided.  
  
"You know, Wills, if we keep waking up together like this, people are going to talk." Xander said, half jokingly. Willow '_Eep_'-ed inside over the truth that seemingly innocent statement held.  
  
"Ah, yes, Xander Harris, demon-magnet. '_Gee, Xander and Willow are together a lot. Dark Willow's back, and it's black hair dye season again!_'," she joked. "They're our _**friends**_, Xan, they're not going to think anything except that we had another all-night buddy-session again." She reached over and brushed the black curls from his face, revealing the drooping eyelid that covered the empty socket on one side. Xander grabbed at her hand, as she placed it gently against his face. "Fred and Knox said that they've almost got that bio-prosthetic eye implant ready. It'll be good to look you in both eyes again, regardless of how dashing the super- spy look is."  
  
"I knew letting you read my 'Nick Fury : Agent of SHIELD' comics was a bad idea."  
  
"Actually, it was that TV movie with David Hasselhoff that made it click."  
  
"Never, _**EVER**_, let me hear you utter those words again. It wasn't Hasselhoff's acting that made both of us sit up for those late-night Baywatch marathons."  
  
"Nope, it was the bouncing beach-babes that we were both drooling at. Tara never did get our fascination with that show." She chuckled in reminiscence. "Seriously, though, Xan, the new eye'll help. You'll get your depth perception back, and I can look you right in both big, brown eyes again. Makes giving you 'Resolve Face' _**SO**_ much easier."

"Giles, have a minute, mate?"  
  
"Um, very well, Spike, what can I help you with?" The chief Watcher replied, curious as to what brought the former vampire to his office so early in the morning.  
  
"Well, it's a bit.. awkward. I need for you and that Fred bint to check me out."  
  
"What, you need medical care?" Giles sat up straighter, shocked that Spike came to him for something like this.  
  
"Not really sure, Rupert. I- well, it all started two nights ago, me an' Buffy were out stalking a cemetery over on DeHaviland, fighting that quartet of vamps she told you about. One of them had a Renfield, and the mortal decided to attack me, thinking that old Spike still had the chip inside."  
  
"A rather unfortunate assumption."  
  
"Would've been. Me an' my flair for a show, I decided to go into game-face and tear him a new one, teach the little wanna-be what a real vampire was like. And I did. For all of three seconds."  
  
"Well, I'm not surprised, a warrior of your skill."  
  
"Actually, the _fight_ lasted seven seconds, he knew what he was doing. If he'd already been vamped, we might have had a serious problem. As it is, I could only stay in game-face for three seconds at a time. Sometimes I can't even get it to come on _**at all**_!"  
  
"You mean you can't, er, well, as Buffy would say, vamp out?"  
  
"Not without some serious concentration. And it's getting harder!" Spike practically seethed in frustration.  
  
Giles cleaned his glasses and came out from behind the desk. "Have you lost any noticeable strength or reaction time?"  
  
"No, not that I've noticed."  
  
"Any increase or decrease in hunger? For blood, I mean."  
  
"Bloody hell. That's _**another **_odd thing. I haven't been as hungry for the red sauce as much lately, but my healing time doesn't seem to have slowed down any."  
  
"_Astounding._ Yes, we should check with Fred and Knox, and perhaps Wesley and Willow, too. Wesley thought something like this _might_ happen, especially after he read Buffy's account of the Shadow-men and their creation of the First Slayer." Giles paused, unsure if he should reveal what they suspected. "Spike, a Slayer is the merger of a living human girl with the spirit and power of a powerful demonic spirit, with the girl's mind and soul in the forefront. A vampire is similar, the merging of a predatory Turak-Han demon with a dead human corpse. Except you, Spike, are now in a _living,_ breathing body."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And, it appears that Wesley's guess may in fact be happening, although we need to confirm it. Your demon may be merging with you and your soul, now that your body is alive once more."  
  
"Just what are you getting at, Rupert?"  
  
"Congratulations, Spike, you may just be transforming into the worlds first male Slayer."  
  
T.B.C. 


	7. chapter 7

**Title:** Revenant, Ch. 7  
  
"What the bloody hell do you mean, I'm a **_Slayer_**, Rupert?!?" Spike yelled, flabbergasted. "Vampire Slayers are _girls,_ mate, have been, always will be! You're a Watcher, for christ's sake, you should know better."  
  
"Gender aside, Spike, you are, for all intents and purposes, the male equivalent or parallel to a Slayer. You are empowered by a demonic force, yet your soul and mind are in the forefront, in control."  
  
"I **_AM_ **the demon, Rupert! I reclaimed my mortal soul, sure, but I'm still me, still Spike!" Spike threw his hands up in frustration. "Williams in here, sure, but he's ALWAYS been here, I was just missing the guilt and remorse parts of our personality! Or, at least, I was _supposed _to! Not that that stopped me from being convinced that there should have been some way to save Joyce, or Buffy, when she died! Or from feeling guilt over what happened in the bathroom last year!"  
  
"Which is yet another way that you are a remarkable anomaly, Spike. So remarkable, indeed, that Buffy chose you to be her champion when we fought the First Evil, those months ago. Willow tells me that something happened, down in the Hellmouth between you and Buffy. Buffy told me an abbreviated version of what happened, but I think that she's leaving something out." Giles stood up from behind Angel's old desk, and walked around to face Spike.  
  
"And just what did she tell you?"  
  
"She told me about the Turak-Han army, the moment Willow's spell transformed the Potentials into full Slayer-dom, being stabbed from behind, and the Amulet amplifying both your soul and the sunlight into a force that destroyed the Turak-Han army and the First Evil. She also told me about telling you that she loved you, and your rather suicidal denial." He picked up his cup of tea and took a sip.  
  
"Burning hands and all, eh?"  
  
Giles nearly choked on the sip that he accidentally inhaled. "Burning hands?"  
  
"Ah, I see she left that part _out_, did she?" Spike pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up. "When she made her big announcement, she grabbed my hand. We both caught on fire at the hands, and when she let go, the flames went out."  
  
"I didn't notice, were either of you burned?" Giles asked, cleaning his glasses, before looking curiously at Spike.  
  
"Couldn't tell, myself, I was burning up from the inside out at the time, but Buffy's hands weren't even blistered or red afterwards. Made her skedaddle, right after, didn't want her dying with me, you know."  
  
"Spike, that's a classic sign of magical interactions right there! Your amulet was interacting with the lingering effects of Willow's Awakening spell. It may have transferred a portion of the Slayer spell over to you, albeit in an altered form."  
  
"Or a weird, coincidental magical side effect, that has _nothing_ to do with this."  
  
"Agreed, but you also said that the Powers That Be offered to return you to the living as a ..Champion." It was as if a light went on in Giles' head. "Dear Lord in Heaven, that could be it." Giles reached for the phone.  
  
"What, Watcher?"  
  
"I'm going to ask Wesley to research any and all references to 'The Champion' in Wolfram and Harts rare books library. There may be a reference in some tome we've missed, perhaps in a demonic text! We've been busy checking out the Aberjian Codice, trying to figure out if this had anything to do with the Sanshu prophesy or not, and ignoring other possibilities!"

****

****

Dawn sat at the table as Willow puttered around the Hyperion's kitchen, pulling down a box of pancake batter, and other ingredients, then the redhead turned and reached into the fridge.  
  
"So, are you making it a habit to sneak into Xander's room at night now, Willow?"  
  
A trio of eggs went splat against the floor as the witch jumped in surprise.  
  
"Xander's room?" Willow asked in an as-innocent-as-I-can-be tone of voice as she cleaned up the mess and got out more eggs.  
  
"I saw you coming out of his room yesterday morning, and this morning too, Willow. Moving on kinda quickly, aren't you?" Dawn's words sounded accusatory, even though her tone of voice was curiously neutral.  
  
"I- I can't sleep anywhere else."  
  
"Plenty of rooms here in Angels old digs. What makes Xander's so special?"  
  
"I- it's like I said, I can sleep there. I can't sleep in the room Angel gave me."  
  
"Are you sure it's not because it's Xander's room?" Dawn arched an eyebrow, her tone of voice still not giving anything away. She got up from the table and went to the cutlery drawer, and began setting the breakfast table.  
  
"What? Well, of course it is, Dawnie, Xander's my best friend. This isn't bits of your old crush on Xander coming back, is it?"  
  
"No, it's not. But is _**your **_old crush on Xander coming back?"  
  
"What???" Willow's jaw dropped open. "Dawn, where did you get _that_ idea?"  
  
"I'm just asking, is all. There's nothing wrong with it, Willow. For years, you were in love with him." Dawn gave her a look that Willow could have sworn old Rabbi Bernstien could have given out, old and wise and ancient, and totally wrong to be coming from Dawn's youthful face. "Then, you moved on to Oz, and then Tara. Even though I wasn't technically there, _I _remember it. You loved them. _**All**_ of them. And maybe, just maybe, deep down inside, you _still_ love Xander. And I don't mean in the way you love a friend."  
  
"Dawn-"  
  
"Don't object, or protest, or try to tell me I'm wrong. I _might_ be, I know, but I doubt it. I _AM_ thousands of years old, even if my body and memories are those of a seventeen-year-old. Just think about what I've said." With that, Dawn finished the final touches on the table, and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
T.B.C. 


	8. chapter 8

Title: Revenant, Ch. 8  
  
"Well, this is certainly Déjà vu, again." Xander muttered as he sat up in the bed, trying not to disturb the I.V. or scratch at the bandages over his eye.  
  
Fred chuckled as she and Knox checked out the x-rays and the schematics of the bio-prosthetic eye implant the doctors employed by Wolfram and Hart had surgically placed into his maimed eye-socket, while Willow tousled Xander's hair.  
  
"So, how soon do the bandages come off?" Xander asked.  
  
"Are you that eager to be on the front lines again, Xander? Hoping to get the snot beat out of you by a Fyarl demon?" Willow teased.  
  
"Naaah, just hoping I'll be able to do carpentry work again without smashing my thumb into pulp every time. Being able to use a crossbow again is just icing on the cake."  
  
"Well," Fred said, "the speed-healing drugs we bought from a few dimensions over should quicken this up... the bandages should be off in just a few days. Then we can see if the neural optic connections will hold up."  
  
"Hey, anytime we can get Xander out of a hospital is a good time, because checking him in? Not so fun." Buffy added from the doorway.  
  
"Buffy!" Willow shouted, motioning the blonde in.  
  
"Hi, hope I'm not disturbing anything, guys."  
  
"Are you kidding?" Xander replied, "Just the same old post-op pep- talk, except this time around I'll be regaining sight, not losing it. By the way, where's your no-longer undead other half?"  
  
"Out seeing movies with Dawn, he said he was taking her out to see a film named after her."  
  
"Really, which one?" Fred asked.  
  
"Dawn of the Dead."  
  
For a formerly reserved Ex-Watcher, Wesley gave a jerk and a half snort, half snicker sound escaped the Englishman. Fred chuckled, and the Scoobies looked at them in confusion, as Wesley Windham-Price burst out laughing.  
  
"Um, huh?" Buffy asked confusedly.  
  
"Dawn of the Dead? Oh, come on, Buffy, surely you've seen it? George Romero, it falls in between Night of the Living Dead, and Day of the Dead? They're playing the remake in theatres right now?" Wesley added after his laughter died down.  
  
"Wait, Night of the Living Dead? Spike took Dawn, my little sister, to see a movie about rampaging killer Zombies?"  
  
"Wait, didn't Oz rescue Dawn from the demon-mask zombies that time at Buffy's welcome back party?" Willow asked Xander, as the brunette nodded.  
  
"It doesn't matter! I'm gonna kill him, boyfriend or not, I'm gonna kill him!"  
  
"Hey, it could've been worse, they could've gone to see Underworld." Fred added. "So much of that was just plain wrong, cool special effects aside."  
  
"I don't know, the naked, hairless werewolves were weird. Like were- Chihuahuas, only less annoying." Willow added.  
  
"Focus, guys, this is Dawn!"  
  
"Who's a remarkably grown-up 17 year-old. Buffy, you can't shelter her from life."  
  
Buffy slumped and sighed. "I suppose you're right. But still, she's really only four years old, false memories not-withstanding."  
  
"Yes, but with the memories and experience of a 17 year old Sunnydale Hellmouth survivor. Aside from her remarkably bad judgment in stealing and boyfriends, she's a pretty capable person."

---

"Okay, Spike, that was just _WRONG_." Dawn growled at Spike as they left the theatre auditorium.  
  
"Alright, I'll make it up to you, Nibblet. Tel you what, we can catch American Wedding on cable when we get back, Angel's got Video On Demand over at the Hyperion."  
  
"Okay, throw in Euro Trip, and you're forgiven. But I wasn't entirely talking about you taking me to that film." Dawn shrugged. "We've been attacked by killer zombies before. Back when you were in South America. The zombies in this film were too fast! If that were real, you couldn't possibly get away in order to survive!"  
  
"When did you get attacked by killer zombies?"  
  
"Demon-possessed voodoo mask. Ask Buffy, she'll tell you. Or Giles."  
  
"Um. Not so sure about that. Old Ripper tossed my brain on a real mind- bender a few days ago. Told me I was turning into a Slayer."  
  
Dawn stopped and stared at him in shock.  
  
"A _Slayer_? Are you and Buffy going to be trading bra sizes soon?"  
  
"Hah bleedin' hah, Nibblet. Rupert said I was becoming a MALE Slayer, that my demon was being absorbed or merged with William, and that we're sort of the same as a Slayer, kind of."  
  
"Spike, that's cool! Omigod, if I knew where Janice lived, I'd _SO_ tell her! Hey, have you started developing a Slayer-sense?"  
  
"Not yet, which is kind of comforting. Problem is, Pet, Halloween's gonna suck. Can't go game-face, so the outfits we'd planned on are kind of out, now." Spike said, scratching his scalp.  
  
"WHAT? NO!" Dawn cried out. "That'll make it so much harder to make you up as Kiefer Southerland's character from the Lost Boys! That just _ruins _my costume!"  
  
"What, you can still dress up as Starr.."  
  
"But without a vamp at my side, no-one will get the reference!"  
  
"Get Angelus to put on a long-haired wig, he can be Marco, or give him a perm and a mullet and he can be Michael. Bet he's still got an ear-ring or two from the eighty's."  
  
"Great idea! Oh, wait, he was a homeless person eating rats during the eighties. No ear-rings."  
  
"Bugger. Between that and his weird fixation on Barry Manilow, makes me wonder why everyone looks up to him. Freakishly tall git."  
  
"Well, the Slayers Ex-Boyfriend, picked by the Powers that be, questing to right various wrongs, yada-yada-yada."  
  
"Which just proves that Buffy and the P-T-B's have weird taste, and that a curse and a rather dodgy prophesy can muck up your whole day."  
  
T.B.C. 


	9. chapter 9

Title: Revenant, Ch. 9

---

"Hello Angelus. Spike. Slayer. Liam. William. Buffy. And.. whoever you seven are."  
  
Buffy looked around in confusion. The First Slayer stood next to her, all dread-locks and body-paint, snarling and growling at the others in the mausoleum they stood bewildered in. Angelus stood off to her left, dressed up in leather pants and a velvet jacket, trying to throttle a confused Liam O'Connor, who wore the knee-length britches and coat he had worn in the 1700's. Willow gawked at the things that mimicked her movements, one thing of chaotic ink, runes and letters and symbols swirling in a girl-shaped form, the other of blue-green power. Behind her, a frightened dark-haired boy tried not to cringe as an older man in military fatigues wrested with a dark-furred hyena. Giles stood there, watching. Except Giles was wearing a pair of torn jeans, a leather motorcycle jacket, and biker boots, smoking a cigarette. To Buffy's right, Spike stood. Or William. One moment it was Spike, in all his punk-rock glory, then it became William, brown curls, glasses, and tweed, before morphing again, Spike on the right half, William on the left, switching, a hypnotic twirl of leather and tweed. For one brief, eye-wrenching moment, the two images were super-imposed over the other, then Buffy looked away, to the two who had addressed them.  
  
They looked.. vaguely familiar.  
  
"Er, haven't I killed you two, before?"  
  
"Hey, Angelus, stop molesting the poofter, and check it out! It's a bloody family reunion!" Spike/William called.  
  
"Well, well, Penn and Luke. Looks like Liam here was right, you two are back. Too bad Darla killed herself, and that Dru isn't here, it'd be like old times." Angelus said, dropping the choking form of Liam.  
  
"Hmm, I thought you two looked familiar. I _DID_ kill you." Buffy shrugged. "Well, looks like I get to, again." She reached for a stake, only to realize she was wearing her Sunnydale High graduation gown. "..the hell?"  
  
"Buffy, either I've had something slipped into my drink before bed, or I suspect we're having a shared dream. A Slayer dream, possibly, although why we're all in this, I have no idea." Biker-Giles said.  
  
"Is that why we're all.. split-up? Except for you and Spike?"  
  
_ "All us!"_ The First Slayer growled in her ear, her breath musky and wet. _"Broken glass, cutting and bleeding in the Dreamtime!"_ For a brief moment, the First Slayer's image flickered, something Buffy couldn't name stood in her place, some _thing_ that made the three vampires step back in instinctive fear from. The thing that empowered a Slayer, that which hunted the Turak-Han as _prey_. Then the First Slayer was back.  
  
"I would imagine so, Buffy." Giles, no, Ripper said. "We're perceiving the various facets of our psyches here in this.. place."  
  
"Be happy, Pet, that you aren't wearing a soddin' cheerleader's outfit, or that outfit from the Doublemeat Palace." Spike/William added. Spike's clothes, William's hair and glasses. Weird.  
  
"Penn, remind me to kill that Witch when we awaken. We were only supposed to be able to spy on them, not _confront_ them in the Dreamtime."  
  
"Only if you reach him first, Luke." Penn replied. "Be afraid, Slayer. We have returned from Hell, and we shall hunt you down. You, your Watcher, your friends, and your harem of traitors."  
  
"I _NEVER_ betrayed the Order, Penn! Not willingly! It was all _HIS_ accursed doing!" Angelus snarled, pointing at Liam. "His _literally_ cursed soul, imprisoning me and refusing to let me kill as I should! If there is a traitor to Aurelius and the Master, it is William, over there!"  
  
"Sod off, you git." Spike said, giving Angelus the two-fingered salute. "You were about to wipe out our only food supply, you daft oaf. You're right about that, though, I would've helped fight the Master, for the same reason. I didn't love Buffy back then, but you-"  
  
"SILENCE!" Angelus roared. "Or I will rip you to bloody shreds, William!"  
  
"He's right, Angelus." Liam said.  
  
"_You_ said it, mate, '_to kill this girl, you've got to love her_.' You hate her so much _because_ she makes you feel like old Liam here, because she makes you feel _love_." Spike said. "And YOU, Liam, slimy git that you are, lied to Buffy and the others about that, about US, in order to ingratiate yourself with them. Tosser."  
  
Buffy felt like someone had just kicked her in the gut. Angelus hated her because.. he loved her?  
  
Xander watched the interplay with a sick fascination, switching back and forth between the vampire soap opera on one side, and watching Army-Guy fighting the Primal Hyena Spirit. Suddenly Ripper grabbed Xander's shoulders.  
  
"Pull yourself together, Xander! You haven't been a little boy for a long, long time! Stop fighting _yourself_, and try to help Willow!"  
  
With that, the image of little Xander meted away, and Xander stood up. "Enough, you two!" he yelled, shoving the two other parts of him away from each other, and going over to Willows side. "Wills? Willow? Hey there, you look a little shook."  
  
"Xander, they keeps doing what I do. Make them stop?" Willow asked.  
  
"How? I think that they're.. you. Or, at least, your magic."  
  
"HUH?"  
  
"Your black magic, and the earth magic that you learned in England. I think that's what they are."  
  
_"TRUE."_ The First slayer said, stalking between them, as it circled the group. It tried to pounce on Luke, but slipped through the vampire as if he or she were ghosts.  
  
"Bout time you two decided to join the conversation." Spike added as Xander, Willow, and Ripper-Giles strode over to stand behind Buffy. "Nice threads, Red." Willow looked down at herself, to find that she was now wearing the outfit of Evil Vampire Willow. "Yeah, _I love Buffy_. And when we all run into each other in the real world, I'll be fighting by _her_ side, as we _all_ will. Whether _you _want to or not, Angelus. You lot bloody well worship the Master, but old man Nest was a idiot of a git, and Aurelius isn't my pack anymore. _THESE_ blokes are. Even smelly-cat, over there." He said, poking his thumb at the First Slayer. "Hell, I'm not even a _vampire_ anymore, turns out I'm a new breed of Slayer, so when we _next_ meet, mates? _We'll be hunting you_."  
  
Suddenly, Buffy and Spike woke up in their bed, drenched in sweat. Elsewhere in the hotel, so did Xander and Willow, and Giles, and in Angel's apartment, so did he.  
  
Deep inside Angel's soul, the demon Angelus howled in frustration.  
  
T.B.C. 


	10. chapter 10

Title: Revenant, Ch. 10

---

"Whoa, B, that's really trippy," Faith said over the phone.  
  
"Yeah, and when I asked Giles the next day what was going on with him and Spike, he just said that he and Spike were far more integrated with their personality aspects than the rest of us."  
  
"So the G-man's really just a disguise for Ripper?"  
  
"Or Ripper and Giles really aren't as different as he pretends in the day to day. And I'm not sure what's scarier, the fact that the guy who's the closest thing I've had to a father in years is just a half-step away from being a killer, or that the guy I always thought of as my first love and soul-mate has lied to me for years, and in fact that he and his alter ego are both sicker than I thought."  
  
"Hey, cut Angel some slack, B. I've had to take a trip through their head, before, and while _Angelus _may be a complete bastard, Angel's okay. Sort of." Faith paused. "At least, they _were_. Angelus wasn't as insane as you described him, I guess his recent rampages out and free let him release a lot of the frustration that his jail-time inside Angel built up over two centuries. From what I hear from Giles, Angel himself may be under too much strain. Keeping as tight a reign on Wolfram and Hart as he's doing is probably playing heck with the whole 'Helping the Helpless' crusade he's got going."  
  
"Yeah, and Cordy being in a coma probably isn't helping. As much as I want to be jealous, those two must have had something special building between them. According to Lorne, she actually got him to _smile_ more than once, and without Angelus coming out to play." Buffy paused. "I hope she gets better. We were friends (kind of), once. And Angel needs someone."

---

Willow and Xander took turns firing a crossbow into a mannequin that Gunn used for target practice.  
  
"Hey, Xan, how much of that is you getting your vision back, and how much of that is Army Guy?" Willow asked.  
  
Xander set the crossbow down and walked away.  
  
"Xan?" Willow asked, a wave of worry washing over her at Xander's reaction.  
  
"I- I'm scared, Wills." Xander said in a quiet voice. "The other night-"  
  
"What we saw in the Dreamtime?" Willow asked, hugging Xander from behind.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Luke and Penn are way, _way_ scary, yeah. They killed Jesse, and even after Buffy killed them, they're _back._ I understand, Xander, believe me. _I'm_ scared too."  
  
"No. Not that."  
  
"Oh." Willow pulled away. _'Oh, goddess, I scare him.'  
_  
Xander looked over his shoulder, and kicked himself for the way Willow's face threatened to crumble. "What? No, _no,_ Willow! That's so _not_ what I meant!" He pulled her into a hug. "Lord, Wills, _I _scared me the other night. I mean, I knew Army Guy was in there, but he was so faded until the other night, he was almost _gone._ But the Hyena?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"They're _both_ back Wills, _full force_. I can feel them fighting each other for share time with the Xan-man, Willow. And if _either_ of them win, it scares me." Xander held Willow at arms length, and look her straight in the eyes. "Yeah, sure, Army Guy has some nifty skills and combat abilities, but he's not exactly the nicest guy on the planet. Remember the Halloween when Ethan cast his spell? He thought you were a _hooker_, Willow. That's _SO_ not me. And yeah, when I was in the Hyena's grip, maybe I _did_ have strength and reflexes to match Buffy's, but _good god_! The hateful things I said to you, and the other things I did-"  
  
"Xander, eating the School mascot isn't all that bad-"  
  
"No, Wills, I'm not talking about that. For fuck's sake, I tried to _rape_ Buffy!"  
  
"What?" Willow blanched and took a half-step back.  
  
"I tried to- to-"Xander shuddered, and collapsed into Willow's arms, crying.  
  
Willow held her best friend, stunned. _'Buffy never told me,' _she thought._ 'Goddess, Xander you've both kept this secret for years.'_ "She told me you attacked her, she never said-"  
  
"It was looking for a mate, someone that could be it's physical match." Xander said after a while, when he'd calmed down slightly. "It didn't _care_ if she was agreeable or not, it just wanted to, well, breed her. Now do you see why I'm freaked? The Hyena can't win, Wills, it just _can't!_ If it did, _none _of you would be safe. When you went all black-eyed and veiny, _you kicked Buffy's ass_, it would see _you_ as a perfect mate for it! I couldn't live with myself if it tried to force you to-"  
  
"Xander, that won't happen."  
  
"But-"  
  
"It _won't_!" Willow looked at Xander with her full-on Resolve Face. "First off, you know full well, I am one _bad-ass_ Wicca. The Hyena may be powerful enough to take on a neophyte Slayer. But do you honestly think it could even be anywhere near _my_ league? Second, I know _Alexander Lavelle Harris_. He's _not_ the inexperienced kid he was in High School. The Xander _I_ know has faced vampires, Dracula himself, Goddesses, and the First Evil itself. There's no way that_** that**_ Xander could ever let the Hyena, Primal Spirit or not, hurt me, Buffy, Dawn, or any of our friends. Not gonna happen."  
  
"But-"His protest died as Willow cupped his face in her hands.  
  
"Not gonna happen." Willow looked Xander square in the eyes, leaned forward and kissed him. "The man who loved me enough to keep me from destroying the world would never let a_nyone_ hurt me. Not even _himself_." She kissed him again. "Remember how I was dressed as Vampire Willow in the Dreamtime?" Xander nodded. "Vampire Willow may have been 'kinda gay', true, but _she _was with _her Xander_. I love you, and _not_ just as my best friend. I won't let anything hurt you, Xander, _not even you_."  
  
"You, you _love_ me?" Willow bit her lip, then nodded. "And not in the best-friend kind of love?" Xander asked, disbelieving.  
  
"Kinda, yeah."  
  
"Kind of?"  
  
"I've loved you for years, Xander. After Oz and Tara, I buried it away, but I still loved you. I just couldn't betray what I had with either of them by letting myself love more than one person at a time. Oz is gone. Tara is dead. So is Kennedy, but I wasn't in love with her, just a lot of lust." Willow took a deep breath. "Maybe you're right, maybe I am bisexual. But Tara taught me that life is too short to worry about labels, and that love is just plain love, regardless of _who _you love."  
  
"And I love _you_, Xander Harris."  
  
T.B.C. 


	11. chapter 11

Title: Revenant, Ch. 11

---

"Giles, we have to talk. It's serious."  
  
"Angel, Wesley. What is serious, and how serious is it?" Giles asked, standing up from his desk.  
  
"Well, it appears that Luke and Penn are moving up their timetable for whatever they are planning. Earlier this month my men have noticed that we've had disappearances at the Sunnydale dig, mostly security people on night patrol." Angel pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration evident. "That's an expected hazard of the job, _especially_ here at Wolfram and Hart. But now an entire Strike Team has vanished, and we realized enough security personnel were killed or taken to make an entire vampiric assault force."  
  
"Dear lord in heaven!" Giles gasped.  
  
"Indeed." Wesley added. "Several possible vampires, well armed and fully trained in the latest in S.W.A.T. gear and tactics, and with knowledge of Wolfram and Hart's internal security measures. We think that Luke and Penn may attack soon, possibly within the week."  
  
"Yes, we'll need to inform Buffy immediately, co-ordinate with Gunn and your head of security, and perhaps call in some reserves."  
  
"Rupert, as much as Faith and I have come to terms with each other, I think it would be better if her and Robin Wood remain in Cleveland. If nothing else, we will need a second line of defense." Wesley added. "Twenty Slayers in Cleveland make a nice secondary line."  
  
"Hopefully, they won't be needed." Angel said. "Between the Angel Investigations gang, and the Scoobies, we should have enough experienced fighters to stop whatever it is my two 'uncles' have in plan."

---

"_Hey_, get a room, you two!" Dawn chuckled, launching a pillow at Spike as he and Buffy got a little too carried away, necking on the couch.  
  
"She's right, Spike," Buffy said, tugging his hand out from underneath her top.  
  
"_Cor_, Slayer, it's not like it's not something she hasn't seen before on late-night cable." Spike objected, trying to recapture Buffy's lips.  
  
"Spike, god, you're such a pig!" Buffy laughed, shoving him playfully off the couch.  
  
"_Eww_, I _so_ do not need a 3-D, in Angel's living-room, display of the mating habits of the wild North American Vampire Slayer." Dawn objected. "Either watch the movie or have sex, but don't try to combine the two, especially in front of me, please?"  
  
"C'mon, Pet, I think we've traumatized the Nibblet long enough. It's too early for the poor nasties to be rising from their tombs yet, so let's go work off all this extra energy upstairs, eh?" Spike said, rising from the couch.  
  
"Yes, _please do_, for _my_ sake, Buffy."  
  
"I don't know, the couch is nice and comfy!" Buffy mock-pouted.  
  
"Oh, now _you're_ ganging up on me too?" Dawn pointed the TV remote at the pair and pressed a button, scrunched up her face and tried another, then threw her hands up. "Argh! They _SO_ need to invent a remote that works on annoying older sisters!"  
  
Spike and Buffy laughed as he helped her off of the couch, and the pair started up the rear staircase up to their rooms.  
  
Dawn finished watching the end of 'Kill Bill, Volume One', then got up to get something from the kitchen to snack on. She started to pull out a loaf of white bread, then got a little nostalgic for the days of Tara cooking around the house. _'Wheat it is, then.'_ Deli-sliced packages of ham, turkey, and pastrami were hauled out of the fridge, along with southwest-flavored dip, swiss cheese, and pepper-jack cheese. After assembling the sandwich, she popped it into the microwave oven, and pulled out a Xander-worthy sandwich. _'Yet another reason we nick- named ourselves the Scoobies, Xander's Shaggy and Scooby style sandwiches!'  
_  
Grabbing a soda out of the fridge as she returned the ingredients, Dawn grabbed her sandwich and decided to take the long way around the lobby. _'Who else is in the hotel?'_ she thought to herself. No one was in the music room since Lorne was over at the W&H offices. No one in the library except Giles, Wesley and Angel, who rapidly excused themselves and left. Cordy was in the W&H medical wing, so no one was in the AI office. That just left the target practice room.  
  
Dawn opened the door with her elbow and looked inside. Xander and Willow. _'Huh? Were they-?'_ Dawn's jaw fell open, and she almost dropped her sandwich. Almost. _'Omigod. OmiGOD! The were! They ARE!'  
  
_ Dawn slipped back out the door, then quietly closed the door with her hip. She walked over to the rec room, closed the door, sat her sandwich down, and began silently cheering, pumping one fist up and down in the air in a 'you go, girl!' kind of way. When she got out of breath, Dawn sat back down, and beamed, mentally replaying in her mind the image of Xander and Willow kissing.  
  
T.B.C. 


End file.
